Lose 22 lbs in 6 weeks— without dieting!

Think you have to choose between losing weight and enjoying yourself at this time of year? Think again! We’ve rounded up all-natural and almost-effortless strategies that promise to help you get slim and make merry at the same time!

We all want to look our best at this time of year—yet not even the Grinch is up for a super-strict diet. Luckily, we convinced top weightloss experts to share their favorite ways to slim down while still having a jolly time. Each one is 100% natural, backed by solid science and powerful enough that women using them insist they work better than diet pills. So go ahead, indulge in your favorite seasonal treats. Just by using a strategy or two on these pages, you can still lose up to 22 pounds in the next six weeks even as you celebrate!

Fat burner 1 Glucomannan

We learned about glucomannan on Slo-tility.com, a site that asks folks to test natural fat burners and share their results. The site’s users give high marks to this fiber from the Japanese konjac yam, which is used as a thickener in Asian cooking. Turns out, glucomannan “‘sponges’ up water in the digestive tract, reducing the absorption of carbs and cholesterol,” per Dr. Oz. And as glucomannan absorbs liquid, it turns into a tummy-filling gel that triggers the release of stop-eating hormones. Glucomannan is also rich in resistant starch— a special compound that speeds fat burning by 23%, per University of Colorado research.

The fat-burning dose:

Quickly drink a glass of water mixed with 3/4 tsp. glucomannan before 1-2 meals daily, recommends Slo-tility’s Frank Duffy, R.D.

How much people lose: In one study, glucomannan helped folks lose up to nine times more weight. And Duffy—who recommends Nowfoods.com’s glucomannan —has seen folks drop up to 40 pounds!

Fat burner 2 Black currant

Thanks to recent research, black currants are getting fat-burning buzz. “And it’s about time!” says Ann Louise Gittleman, PH.D., who uses black currant oil to speed results on her famous Fat Flush regimen. She’s been recommending the stuff ever since a Cardiff University study found “gamma- linolenic acid in black currant oil activates ‘ brown fat,’ a type of fatburning tissue usually dormant in overweight people. The more active brown fat you have, the more weight you lose.” And a new British study adds fuel to the fat-burning fire, proving that black currant extract stimulates incinerate fat when our we’re 15%-27% bodies active— more to turning shopping and tree trimming into bonafide workouts! Scientists credit currants’ anthocyanin antioxidants, which seem to prompt muscles to burn more fat for energy.

The fat-burning dose:

Gittleman recommends 360 mg.500 mg. black currant oil before a meal once or twice daily.

How much people lose: Balance holiday indulgences with mostly healthy meals and snacks and you stand to lose “up to 20 pounds in a month,” says Gittleman. Her preferred version is on Fatflush.com; other options include Solaray and Puritan’s Pride brands, both on Amazon.com.

3 Gelatin

Surprise! The stuff that puts the jiggle in Jell-o is an amino-acid-packed protein— and unsweetened gelatin from grass-fed sources has become an underground fat-burning sensation. Turns out, gelatin helps cue our bodies to shed pounds “even if we’re not dieting at all,” confirms Draxe. com’s Josh Axe, N.D. How? Glycine, the main amino acid in gelatin, has been found to send levels of key fat-burning hormones— especially human growth hormone—soaring. A Dutch study also found that gelatin slows the breakdown of food in our systems, stabilizing blood sugar and shrinking appetite up to 20%.

● The fat-burning dose: Dr. Axe suggests a few 1/2 Tbs. servings of natural gelatin daily. Healthy brands to try include Great Lakes and Vital Proteins.

● How much people lose: If you’re not dieting, a daily serving of gelatin can melt several effortless pounds over time, says Dr. Axe. But pair it with healthy eating like Sylvie Mccracken did (see box, far left, for more) and you can drop up to 40 pounds in 12 weeks!

4 Oolong tea

Mountains of research confirm that virtually any variety of tea helps spur weight loss. But which one spurs the most fat burning? “Oolong, a Chinese name for ‘ black dragon,’ is a light, floral tea that is also packed with catechins,” nutrients that boost your body’s ability to break down fat, says Kelly Choi, author of The 7-Day Flat-belly Tea Cleanse. In one study comparing different teas, oolong sped fat burning by 12%—significantly more than other varieties!

The fat-burning dose: Choi recommends 3-4 cups daily. Just be sure to stop sipping after 2 p.m. if you’re sensitive to caffeine. How much people lose: A study in the Chinese Journal of Integrative Medicine found that participants who regularly sipped oolong tea lost a pound a week, without doing anything else to change their diet or exercise habits. And combined with healthy eating, Choi has seen oolong drinkers shed up to nine pounds a week!

5 Hot sauce

Another extremely popular option among folks testing natural fat burners for Slo-tility.com, hot sauce gets its waist-shrinking power from capsaicin, the compound that give it its heat. Capsaicin has been show to boost metabolism and trigger the release of stop-eating hormones. And a Korean team even found evidence that it activates genes that increase fat burning. “It’s one of the absolute easiest strategies that we’ve found to have a big impact,” says Duffy. The fat-burning dose: Just add hot sauce or any form of hot pepper (such as pepper flakes or ground cayenne pepper) to meals 2-3 times daily.

How much people lose: Duffy says a few shakes a day can help you drop 10 pounds in 12 weeks.

6 Coconut oil

Some call coconut oil the “fat-burning fat”— and with good reason. In one landmark study, a group given coconut oil ended up melting 600% more belly fat than other dieters. And brand-new University of California research found that coconut oil is better at shrinking our waists than olive oil. Why? Though coconut oil is a saturated fat, it’s made primarily of “medium-chain” fatty acids that create so much heat as they digest, they rev metabolism up to 50%!

● The fat-burning dose: Cherie Calbom, C.N, author of The Coconut Diet, recommends 2 Tbs.-3 Tbs. per day in place of other fats.

● How much people lose: “With minimal other changes, people lose up to 10 pounds a week,” reports Calbom.